The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Belmont
Second-half run fuels Akron to a 73-58 triumph over Belmont
November 28 | Women's Basketball
Follow Akron Women's Basketball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Follow Coach Kest on Twitter
FINAL STATS | FINALS STATS (PDF) | UPDATED STATS (PDF)
DENVER, Colo. – Sparked by a 24-8 second-half run the Akron women's basketball team broke open a 40-all game en route to registering a come-from-behind 73-58 triumph over Belmont (0-5) in the opening game of the Denver Thanksgiving Classic on Friday.
"Any time you get a win it is good, any time you win on the road it is even better," Zips' head coach Jodi Kest commented. "We didn't play very well in the first half, but give Belmont credit they did a phenomenal job of playing their zone defense, which gave us a lot of problems. I thought we made the adjustment in the second half and did more of a motion and got more movement. Our conditioning was pretty solid in the second half and I thought that helped out in the second half."
Sparking the second-half surge for Akron (5-0) was a career-high 19-point explosion by junior forward Katie Nunan (Fairmont, W. Va.). Nunan scored all but two of her points in the decisive second stanza.
Senior forward Sina King (Waterford, Ohio) was equally impressive over the final 20 minutes scoring 15 of her game-high 25 points. King has now scored 25 or more points in back-to-back contests for the Zips.
Junior guard Anita Brown (Warren, Ohio) added a 16-point, 10-rebound effort for Akron, while sophomore guard Hannah Plybon (Orrville, Ohio) chipped in nine points.
Both teams struggled to find their shots in the first half as Akron and Belmont connected on 25.0 and 27.3 percent of their attempts from the field.
The Zips trailed by as many as nine points early in the tilt before Brown gave Akron its first lead of the affair, 15-14, with a pair of free throws with 8:29 remaining in the half.
The Zips stretched their advantage to four points before the Bruins evened the game at 23 on a lay-up by Frankie Joubran with 1:32 remaining.
Joubran gave the lead back to Belmont on another lay-up before Plybon connected on a three-pointer from the corner to send the Zips into the intermission holding a 26-25 lead.
The Bruins opened the final stanza with a 7-2 run to assume a 32-28 lead with 18:45 left in the game.
Back-to-back baskets from King and Nunan tied the affair at 32 before Belmont again registered consecutive baskets to regain a 36-32 advantage.
A pair of free throws by King and a jumper from Brown tied the contest for the sixth time at 36-36 with 16:09 remaining.
Each side took turns scoring two points before the Zips went ahead to stay, 42-40, on a lay-up by King at the 14:26 mark.
Akron's lead swelled to as many as 17 points before the Zips exited the floor with a 73-58 victory.
Connecting on nearly 66 percent (.665) of its attempts in the second half, Akron finished the contest registering a 42-percent shooting mark. The Zips limited the Bruins to 31.7 percent shooting for the game.
Led by 11- and 10-rebound performances from King and Brown, Akron won the battle of the glass, 48-39, including 30-23 on the defensive end.
The Zips used their rebound advantage to outscore Belmont in the paint, 38-28.
Recording their third and first double-doubles of the season, respectively, for Akron was King and Brown.
The Zips used a strong-defensive effort to force the Bruins into 15 turnovers that Akron converted into 16 points.
Joubran and Jordyn Luffman-Hartsfield led Belmont with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Akron has advanced to the title game of the Denver Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday against the winner of the Denver/Siena game currently in progress. Game time will be approximately at 4:30 p.m. ET.
